Haverford Hosts Division III LGBTQ OneTeam Training

HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College Athletic Department held a Division III LGBTQ OneTeam Training Program for all of its administrators, head coaches, and support staff this week. Leading the OneTeam training was Melynda Link, Haverford College's Director of Athletic Facilities & Game Day Operations.

Link is one of 29 athletic professionals across all of Division III who has been trained as an LGBTQ OneTeam Program Facilitator. In addition to Link's training session with the Haverford College athletic staff, she is also scheduled to do the same training with other institutions throughout the region in the coming months.

The Division III LGBTQ OneTeam Program has four objectives for participants:

To understand the involvement of the NCAA and Division III in LGBTQ issues;

To recognize the importance of LGBTQ inclusion in college athletics; learn common LGBTQ terms, definitions and concepts;

To identify strategies and best practices for institutions and conferences to ensure all individuals may participate in an athletics climate of respect and inclusion, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression; and

To develop facilitation and presentation skills. The program is designed to provide peer-driven LGBTQ educational programming directly to Division III institutions and conferences.

Throughout the training, Haverford's athletic staff learned about proper LGBTQ vocabulary, NCAA LGBTQ resources, and the LGBTQ Inclusion Model. The staff was also presented with different case studies to examine how they would react in certain situations.

In 2016, the Division III Management Council endorsed the creation of a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Working Group. The working group's charge is to examine the current LGBTQ landscape in Division III. Examination and research may lead to potential programming, resources, and recognition of the LGBTQ community and its allies as well as increasing the engagement and collaboration at the institutional, conference and national levels.

Haverford College and all of its departments on campus are committed to fulfilling the College's Strategic Plan for Diversity and Inclusion. For more information about Haverford College's commitment to inclusion, please visit the Diversity and Inclusion page on the College's website.